Lance Stephenson to miss 12th consecutive game Wednesday
When the Charlotte Hornets said last week that Lance Stephenson's injury was still open-ended, there was some mild hope he may be able to return by the middle of this week.
That's not going to be the case, as the Hornets have already ruled out their mercurial offseason acquisition for their Wednesday game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Stephenson suffered a sprained pelvis on Dec. 17, and Wednesday will mark his 12th consecutive game missed.
The Hornets have actually hung in without Stephenson, going 6-5 so far during his absence following a 6-19 start with him. The team will likely struggle moving forward with Al Jefferson also on the shelf, but this continues a trend of the team playing better with Stephenson off the floor.
| Hornets | O-Rtg | D-Rtg | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| until Dec. 17 | 98.3 | 106.2 | -7.9 |
| since Dec. 18 | 99.7 | 97.3 | 2.5 |
| Stephenson on floor | 96.6 | 105.5 | -8.9 |
| Stephenson on bench | 100.6 | 101.7 | -1.1 |
In 25 games before the injury, Stephenson was averaging 10.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists but shooting 38.6 percent from the floor and 15.1 percent on 3-point attempts. As a result, his offensive efficiency metrics were far below the standards he had established over the past two seasons with the Indiana Pacers.
Gerald Henderson should continue to start in Stephenson's place. Henderson has averaged 12 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the 11 games Stephenson has missed, seeing his minutes jump from 23.7 to 29.4 per night.